In Western countries, diseases related to foods represent a major issue in public poliy. Overweight and obesity are increasing at an alarming rate in the world and in Europe more particularly. Obesity is one of the most serious public health problems because it increases significantly the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabete. Nutrition is a major health determinant and is one of the key priorities in public health policy, especially in Europe. The comsumption of cereals-based foods with low glycemic indexes, high micronutrients and fibers contents are highly recommended. The target of this work, is to provide new solutions for cereal based foods: the knowledge and understanding on the in vivo fate will be used to define structural features to gain in foods. The objective of this proposal is to use new genetic resources and to assess the role of the role of viscosity on gastric emptying and the kinetic aspects of starch digestion. The digestibility of starch in foods varies widely and can be affected by high content of viscous soluble dietary fiber constituents and relatively high amylose / amylopectine ratios. Amylose content also influences some functional properties of starches like swelling power, solubility, in vitro glycemic index and viscosity. Thus, the strategy of this work is based upon the complementarity of the research teams and upon the integration of various scientific disciplines, from genetics of wheat grain to the human subject while passing by in vitro and animal studies. Natural biodiversity present in a core collection of bread wheat (Clermont-Ferrand) will be examined in order to bring out new wheat varieties containing high amylose contents. These varieties will be selected by the use of molecular and biochemical markers, by phenotyping using a new experimental device based upon image analysis of seeds sections, by biochemical analyses and by nutritional investigations. Viscosity of the ingested meal, gastric function in vivo and the nutritive impact of cereal products with high amylose content will be evaluated using an artificial stomach, a porcine model and a human panel.

Pesticides are of limited use against bacterial diseases in crops due to a lack of effective and non-toxic molecules. Thus, genetic selection of resistant crops remains the most effective approach to control bacterial pathogens. Resistance breeding requires a conceptual jump to efficiently design significant and durable resistance to a large variety of pathogens in a large number of crops simultaneously. The CROpTAL project aims at identifying plant susceptibility hubs in major crops (cereals, citrus, legumes and brassicaceae) targeted by Xanthomonas virulence-promoting TAL (Transcription Activator-Like) type III effectors. These conserved susceptibility targets could then be used for marker-assisted breeding of loss-of-susceptibility by selection of inactive variants of those hubs. These results will contribute to the development of durable resistance to a broad range of bacterial pathogens in the selected crops.

The OTCT project will build on the results and recommendations of the OPTIMALE network, an Erasmus Academic Network of 70 academic and language industry partners in the field of professional translation. The OPTIMALE online survey of language industry employers’ competence requirements showed that awareness of and the ability to implement professional procedures throughout the translation process are key factors in the employability of university translation graduates. This led to the definition of good practice in specific areas of translator training, in particular in the integration of professionally-oriented practices in the curriculum.The OTCT project (Optimising Translator Training through Collaborative Technical Translation) aims to enhance the professionally-oriented content of university translation degree programmes via intensive collaborative technical translation sessions in simulated professional conditions (referred to as “Tradutech sessions”), and by exchanging good practice and resources on the implementation of project-based teaching and learning in the field of translator training.The project will involve students and staff in advanced translation degree programmes from seven academic institutions (Rennes 2 University, France; HE Vinci, Brussels, Belgium; Swansea University, UK; Univerzita Karlova V Praze, Prague, Czech Republic; Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Universita ta Malta, Malta; Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain). It will primarily involve 1st and/or 2nd year Master’s degree students (i.e. 20-80 students in each institution) but may also involve students in the final year of Bachelor’s degree programmes where relevant (i.e. Sevilla). Two to three members of the teaching staff from each institution will be directly involved, but a larger number will benefit from the outcomes of the project.The project will center on the “Tradutech” intensive sessions, with preparatory activities leading up to the sessions and material from the sessions feeding into further resources for use in the classroom. Four “Tradutech” sessions will take place during the project. Each five-day session will involve students setting up simulated translation companies (i.e. teams of 5-10 students, with specific responsibilities and roles assigned to each team member), who will then carry out large-scale multilingual technical translation projects according to the specifications and deadlines set by their “clients”. Source documents will be authentic technical manuals, reports or multimedia materials which will be translated into the main target language(s) of the partner institutions. The source documents will be in English or French as the case may be. Projects will be managed in turn by students from each partner institution, using collaborative software to exchange resource materials and files and computer-assisted translation software to carry out the translations. Prior to the Tradutech sessions, students will receive training in technical translation, project management, quality control and translation technologies, using resources produced by different partner institutions and shared with the other partners within the project. Participants will be briefed on the conditions and implementation of the Tradutech sessions, using tutorials produced by students from Rennes and Cluj with prior experience of such sessions. A joint terminology project will involve students from all the partner institutions, in order to promote cooperation and familiarize them with the use of the collaborative platform set up for the project. Output from the student “translation companies” will be assessed according to professional criteria by language industry professionals and feedback will be provided to the students and used as learning materials in classes following the Tradutech sessions. All students who have completed a Tradutech session (i.e. have successfully carried out the responsibilities and tasks allocated to them within one or several translation projects) and the preparatory work prior to the session, will be awarded 4 ECTS credits as part of their study programme.Two of Rennes Tradutech sessions will be attended by teaching staff from the other partner institutions, who will take part in a parallel training of trainer session. Two other sessions will be attended by students from the other institutions, who will be integrated as full members of the Rennes teams.Sustainability will be ensured by teaching and learning resource production and dissemination, the training of trainer sessions, and the production of a Handbook on the implementation of project-based translator training which will be made freely available to other institutions. Participating students will benefit from the hands-on experience and professional feedback, while teaching staff will gain experience of project-based collaborative learning methodologies.